Vulcanizing apparatus



Jan. 26, 1932.

y. E. ATKlNs VULQANIZING APPARATUS Filed May 5, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet lHilf 5- Nh.. NN, KN .NN

Jan. 26, 1932. v. E. ATKlNs VULCANIZING APPARATUS Filed May 5, 1930 2sheets-sheet 2 lll Patented Jan. 26, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEV'AL E. ATKINS, OF AKRON, 13H10, SSIGNR T0 THE B. F. GOOIDRICH COMPANY,OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION GF` NEW 'YORKV VULCANIZING' APPARATUSApplication filed May 5, 1930. Serial No. 449,742.

This invention relates to vuloanizing apparatus, and more especially itrelates to apparatus llor vulcanizing articles under tension, suoli asconveyor or transmission belts oit it'abric and rubber, wherein thearticles are ot such length as to require the successive vulcanizationof adjacent zones lengthwise et' the belt.

ln the vulcanization of belts of the character mentioned, with theapparatus heretolore provided, considerable ditliculty is encountered inobtaining uniformity of tension in the respective zones of the belt, dueto the tact that during," vulcaninalion the tension on the unconitnedportions of the belt is released, and thereafter the tensioning means isrequired to be returned exactly to its original position to impart thesame tension to the succeeding zone of the belt. Vith no interconnectionbetween the tensioning members, which engage the respective ends olf thebelt, such Tre-positioning is laborious and lirequently inaccurate.

The chie-t objects ot this invention are to assure uniformity oitstructure and stretch in endless belts; to save time and labor in thevulcanization oil belts; and to provide apparatus for accomplishing the.t'oregoinp` objects. More specifically l aim to provide tensionmechanism on opposite sides of the vulcanizinp; press, adapted torelease tension on the belt on both sides of the press by movement ofbut one tensioiring member with relation to the other tensioning member,and so constructed and arranged as to tension all parts ot the beltequally.

Uf the accompanying drawings:

Fig. l is a side elevation oi apparatus embodying my invention in itspreferred term, and the worlr therein, a part being broken away.

Fig. 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig'. 3 is a plan View of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4- is a section on line lf-1l of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, is a vulcanizing press comprisinga hydraulicram 1l, provided with a ram-head`12, a lower platen 13 mounted upon saidram-head, a :middle platen 14, and an upper platen 15.

lhe latter is secured to an upper-press-head 16 which is supported by aplurality of l-beams l?, 1'? mounted upon the upper ends of a pluralityoi upright cylindrical posts 18, 19, positioned in pairs at the frontand rear of the press respectively. The middle platen le is supportedsolely by the posts 1S) upon brackets 2t), 2O slidably mounted thereon,and collars, such as the collar 2l (Fig. 4l)

are secured to the respective posts 19 below the brackets 2() to limitthe downward movement or' the latter when the press is opened. ,lheposts 18 are positioned a suflicient distance in iront of the platens topermit the work to be inserted edgewise between the platens, wherebyendless belts may be vulcanized .in the press. Respective inlet pipes 22and outlet pipes 23 are provided for supplying steam to the platens toheat the same in the usual manner, and inlet and outlet pipes 211,respectively are provided for supplying pressure :Huid to raise thehydraulic rain 1l.

Positioned at the iront and rear of the press 10, between the posts 18and 19, and eX- tending each side ot the press a substantial distance,are respective parallel rails 26, 26 which are slidably mounted inspaced apart guides 2l, 27 mounted upon respective supports or piers 28,28. At one end (the right as shown in Figs. 1 and 3) the rails 2G arejoined together by a plate 29 secured to their bottoni flanges, and adownwardly extending bracket '30 is mounted upon the under side ot theplate 29. Mounted upon a stationary support 3l between the press l() andthe bracket 30 is a double acting iluid pressure cylinder 32 havin giluid inlet and outlet pipes 33, 234ieolnu'uuiieating,l with itsrespective ends, the arrangement being such that `one end olf thecylinder is discharged as the other end is charged. 'lhe cylinder 32 isprovided with the usual piston rod which is adapted to engage thebracket 30 but is not connected thereto. When the piston rod 85 is fullyprojected it is in engagement withthe bracket 30 and it thus providesmeans for determinatcly positioning the rails 26 with relation to thepress 10.

Mounted upon the top faces of the respec- Y of the rails, are racks 37,37. The tops of the teeth of the racks 37 are below the tops of thenotched plates 36', and the notches of the latter are spacedsufficiently far apart so that the plates 36 provide a suitable supportfor a carriage 38 which is slidably mounted there? on. Journaled insuitable bearing brackets 39, 39, formed on the side of the carriage 38remote from the press l0, is a shaft 40 provided with gear pinions 41,41 meshed.

with the Hrespective racks 37, and the respective ends of the shaft 40are provided with cranks 42 by which the shaft may be turned from eitherside of the apparatus to move the carriage longitudinally of the rails26. On the opposite side of the carriage 38 from the shaft 40 is arock-shaft 43 which is suitablyjournaled in hearing brackets 44, 44formed on the carriage, and said rockshaft is provided with pawls 45, 45adapted to engage the notches of the respective notched plates 36. Therespective ends of the rockshaft 43 are provided with handles 46, 46 bywhich the shaft is manually rocked to lift the pawls 45 from the notchesof the plates 36, and said notches are so disposed that the pawls 45engage the same when the carriage 38 is moved toward the press, butslide over the notches when the carriage is moved away from the press.

The carriage 38 comprises a pair of upstanding bearing brackets 47, 47positioned substantially over the rails 26, and each of said brackets isformed, parallel to said rails, with a bore in which is mounted athreaded shaft or screw 48, said screws being adapted for axial slidingmovement vin said bores. Positioned in suitable slots in the respectivebrackets 47, and threaded onto the screws 48, are nuts 49, 49 which areannular in form and have their peripheries formed as worm gears whichare meshed with worms (not shown) mounted upon the respective endportions of a shaft 50 journaled in the brackets 47, and' each end ofsaid shaftv is provided with a crank 5l by which the shaft 50 is turnedfrom the front or rear ofthe apparatus. Thevarrangement is such thatrotation of the shaft 50 feeds the screws 48 axially of the brackets 47.

` Slidably mounted upon the notched plates 36 between the press l0 andcarriage 38 is a slide or cross-head 52, and mounted thereon areupstanding brackets 53, 54 at the near y and far side of the apparatusrespectively,

Vso

said brackets being secured respectively to the adjacent end of one ofthe screws 48. Journaled at .one end in the bracket. 54, and extendingtherefrom to the front Vof the apparatus, is a pulley orfroll 55,'andthe opposite end of said pulley is formed with a slightly taperedjournal 56 adapted to fit within a complementally shaped socket formedin a latch or gate 57 for supporting the free end of said pulley. Thegate 57 is hinged to the bracket 53, and its free end is provided with aspring-pressed detent 58 which extends into the socket in the gate andseats in a circumferential groove in the journal 56 to maintain the gateand journal in operative relation,yet permitting-the gate readily toloeV opened for mounting the work, such as the endless belt 59, upon thepulley 55.

At the left hand side of the apparatus as viewed in Figsgl and 3, therails 26 support mechanismwhich is so nearly identical tothe mechanismat the right side of the press that a detail description thereof isdeemed unnecessary, andthe identical parts thereof are given the samereference characters as are used on the right handside of the figures,and the exponent a, In the mechanism at the left hand side of theapparatus, the cranks at the ends of the shaft 50a are omitted, and asprocket 60 is mounted upon said shaft and connected by `a sprocketchain 61 lwith a sprocket 6201i a motor 63, the latter being mountedupon the under side of the carriage 38a. The' worms on the shaft 50awhich mesh with the nuts 49a (not shown in the mechanism at the right ofthe figures) are shown at 49h, 49h, Fig. 2.

In the operation of the apparatus, the initial step of mounting therendless unvulcanized belt 59 is Veffected while the press is open andits platens separated, the gates 57, 57a are open to permit the belt tobe mounted upon the pulleys 55, 55, the rear end of the cylinder 32 ischarged to position the rails 26 inthe position shown, the carriage 38and cross-head 52 are in the positions shown, the carriage 38a is in theposition shown, but the cross-head 52a is closer to the press than isshownin the drawings to permit'the work easily to be mounted upon thepulleys. After the work is mounted upon the pulleys 55, 5511 the gates57, 57 a are closed, and the motor 63 set inV motiontorotate the shaft50a', worms 49h, and nuts 49a wherebyr the shafts '48a are fedrearwardly-to draw the crossfhead 52a away from the press to tightenandtension the belt 59. The press is then closed upon the regions ofthe' belt between the pressplatens and vulcanizatiori thereof effected.v

It is not desired to maintain tension on lthose portions of the belt notbetween the niovement of the rails 26 is relatively small and is notsui'licient to absorb the slack in the work between the press and thepulley a.

After vulcanization is effected the press is opened, the rear end oitthe cylinder 32 is charged to move the rails 26 toward the right to adetern'iinate position with relation to the press, and the belt 59 ismoved lengthwise around the pulleys 55, 55?L to bring adjacentunvulcanized regions thereof between the platents et the press. Theoperations described are then repeated.

The notched plates 36, 36a and pawls 45, 45a are used only for majoradjustments of the respective carriages 38, 38n with relation to thepress l() to adapt the apparatus for vulcanizing belts of a large rangeof sizes. adjustment ott the cross-head 52 with relation to the carriage38 permits maj or adjustments to be made with accuracy.

lt will be observed that neither the carriages 38, 38 or the cross-head52 move relatively or' the rails 26 during the normal operation or theapparatus, and that the rails are returned to a determinate positionwith relation to the press prior to the tensioning ot the work as theinitial step during operation. This facilitates the tensioning of thework since uniformity of tension is obtained in the belt, as successiveregions thereof are positioned in the press, simply by moving thecross-head 52a to a determinate position at each tensioning operation.This position is usually determined by measuring the distance betweenthe carriage 38a and cross-head 52a at the point X as shown in Fig. l.

Those parts ot' the apparatus which require to be moved during thenormal vulcanizing operations are power driven, and quick and accuratepositioning` oit the movable parts is easily accomplished and uniformityof stretch in the finished product is obtained.

The invention may be modified within the scope ot the appended claims asI do not limit the claims wholly to the specific structure shown anddescribed.

l claim:

l. Vulcanizing apparatus comprising a press, work tensioning' meanscomprising respective work-engaging members at opposite sides oi' thepress, and means for concurrently moving both Work-engaging members withrelation to the press while maintaining` their established relation toeach other.

2. Vulcanizing apparatus comprising a press, Work tensioning meanscomprising respective work-engaging members at opposite sides of thepress, and a common support for said work-engaging members, said supportbeing movable with relation to the press.

3. Vulcanizing apparatus comprising a press, work tensioning meanscomprising respective work-engaging members at opposite sides oi' thepress, a common support for said work-engaging members movable withrelation to the press, and means for determinately positioning saidsupport with relation to the press.

4. Vulcanizing apparatus comprising a press, respective members atopposite sides thereof adapted to engage Work positioned in the press,and a common support for said work-engaging members, at least one ofwhich is movable with relation to said sup-. port, said support beingmovable with relation to the press.

5. Vulcanizing apparatus comprising a press, respective members atopposite sides thereof adapted to engage work positioned in the press, acommon support for said Workengaging members, said support being movablewith relation to the press, and means for moving one of thework-engaging members with relation to said support.

6. Vulcanizing apparatus as defined in claim 5 including means formoving the support for the Work-engaging members to a determinateposition with relation to the press.

7. Vuleanizing apparatus comprising a press, respective work-tensioningmecha- `nisms at opposite sides thereof, a common support for saidWork-tensioning mechanisms, said support being movable with relation tothe press, means for adjusting the positions of the work-tensioningmechanisms upon said support, and means for moving a work-engagingportion of at least one of said mechanisms with relation to said supportwithout altering the position oi the mechanism as a Whole.

In witness whereof I have hereunto hand this 29th day of April, 1930.

VAOL E. ATKINS.

set my

